More signs Clinton still in the race

Here are the latest signs that Hillary Clinton has no plans to give up the fight.

This morning on MSNBC, her campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe, ridiculed Barack Obama's assertion that a victory in Oregon on May 20 could effectively wrap up the Democratic nomination.

"That will be an important day," Obama said in an interview aired Thursday evening on NBC. "If, at that point, we have the majority of pledged delegates, which is possible, then I think we can make a pretty strong claim that you know, we've got the most runs and it's the ninth inning. And we've won.

McAuliffe said Obama can celebrate all he wants that night, but there is no official nominee until someone gets 2,025 delegates -- or in the calculation of the Clinton camp, 2,209 delegates, if the disputed delegates from Florida and Michigan are counted.

The Clinton camp this morning also released a "Dear Fellow Democrats" letter from 16 US House members supporting her that reinforces her argument that she would be the stronger nominee in what is likely to be a very close November election because she is winning primaries in key battleground states and is winning among blue-collar swing voters.

"As Democrats who have run and won in competitive Congressional districts and battleground states, we believe that Hillary is best positioned to successfully lead the Democratic ticket in districts and states like ours around the country," the representatives write. "As you know, Hillary has racked up victories in bellwether states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and now Indiana that are absolutely vital to winning the White House and maintaining our Congressional majority in the fall. Hillary has won the big battleground states by connecting with voters whose support we must have to win the general election. Her victories in Pennsylvania and Indiana were all the more impressive after being outspent by as much as two or three to one.

"Pennsylvania was not just a victory for Hillary Clinton," the letter continues. "It was also a wake- up call for superdelegates, forcing us to ask ourselves two essential questions: 1) Which candidate can carry the magic 270 electoral votes to win in the fall? 2) Which candidate is most likely to help our fellow Democrats in down-ballot races? We believe the answer to both of these questions is Hillary Clinton."

UPDATE: And another sign: The cash-strapped Clinton campaign announced it is airing a TV ad in West Virginia, site of the next primary on Tuesday. To have any semblance of momentum, Clinton likely needs an overwhelming victory, something in the neighborhood of a two-thirds majority.

The ad focuses on her promises to stand up for working people.

"It's time to level the playing field against the special interests," Clinton is shown saying at a campaign event.

"She'll end $55 billion dollars in giveaways to corporate special interests and invest it in middle class tax cuts and creating new jobs," the announcer continues. "She’ll get tough on unfair trade deals and end tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. "

Clinton concludes, "Standing up for people who weren't getting a fair shake, that's been the purpose of my life. And it will be the purpose of my presidency."